

Class ^i^.JJ^.A.lL: 

Book^W-^ - 



Author 



Title „. 



Imprint 



18^8 



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REPORT 



Forestry Commission 



STATE OF WISCONSIN. 



PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY, 




MADISON 
Dkmocrat Printing Company, State Prtmter 

1898 



REPORT 



Forestry Commission 



STATE OF WISCONSIN. 



I 7 



PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY, 




MADISON 
Democrat Printing Company, State Printer 

1898 



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24560 




REPORT OF THE FORESTRY COMMISSION. 



To the llonorahh', tJie Le(ji.slaiure of the t>tate of Wisconsin: 

The coiinnissioii which was appointed by the governor, pursu- 
ant to dhapter 229 of the laws of 1897, for the purposes defined in 
said statute, and which is composed of Geo. B. Burrows, H. C. 
Putnani and Ernest Bruncken, respectfully submit the following- 
report: 

The commission was organized on June 15, lb97, by the elec- 
tion of George B. Burrows as chairman and Ernest Bruncken as 
secretary. As it seemed imperative to the proper fulfillment of the 
objects of tlie commission to have a more* definite knowledge than 
was then obtainable of the actual, present condition of the Wis- 
consin forests, an arrangement was made with the State Geolog- 
ical and Natural History Survey and the Forestry Division of 
the U. S. Department of Agriculture, for the making of such an 
inquiry. The result of that investigation may be found in the 
bulletin of the Gcologicial Survey on "The Forest Resources of 
Northern Wisconsin/' by Filibcrt Botli. The thanks of this 
commission are due to the gentlemen connected with the two 
institutions named, and ])articularly to Prof. Birge of the Geolog- 
ical Survey; Dr. Ix E. Fernow. late chief of the U. S. Forestry 
Division; Prof. Filibert Roth, now of (Cornell University, and 
Prof. L. S. Cheney of the; State T^niversity, for the invaluable 
a&sistance thus rendered. The following report is in no small 
measure ba.';ed on the data so ascertained. 



(iENEKAL INTRODUCTION. 

The meaning of the word forestry; is still somewhat unfamiliar 
to many people in the United States, and to a misapprehension 
of its meaning may be ascribed a good deal of O[)position en- 
countered by the advoeiates of inn proved forestry method* Many 
persons imagine it to be synonymous with arboriculture, or the 
planting and care of trees. In reality that is 'but a branch of the 
subject, and as far as Wisconsin is concerned, by no meanS' on*^ , 
of the mos;t im]iortant. Forestry is simply the management of 
lands gi'own wit.li forests. Its obiect is to derive from such lands. 



the greatest possible profit for the owner. The interest of the state 
in forestry lies in part in the direct financial return it may obtain 
from forests owned by it; and in part in certain indirect benefits 
conferred on its people by the existence and rational exploitation 
of forests. Every owner of timber lands who carries on logging 
operations, ot sells firewood or railway ties, ie engaged in for- 
estry. It is clear, therefore, that the introduction of improved 
forestry methods is of the greatest importance to the luanber in- 
dustry and every other industry which gets its raw ma- 
terial from the foreots, as well as to the people of 
the st^ate at large. The plan advocated in the past, with, 
more or less sucfeess, by well-tmeaning people, of reserving 
certains portions of natural forest as so-called "parks'' and allow- 
ing them to remain unutilized wildernesses cannot be dignified 
by the name of rational forestry. The reasons which have most 
commonly been given for that policy have been of a sentimental 
nature. Its advocates have spoken of the beauty of the primeval 
woods and the good infllience a temporary return to nature anust 
have on persons overwrought by the ex^treme stress of modern 
civilization. But these benefits can 'be obtained equally well if 
not better by a forest wliicli is made to serve the needs of the 
people in the way of lumber and other sylvatic ]:)roducts. More- 
over, an uncared-for forest surrounded by a popuh)us conmiunity 
is sure to fall a victim to fire and Ivecome practically a desert in 
the course of a few decades. The reservation plan, therefore, is 
inefiicient and wasteful. It must give way to a more economical 
and business-like policy. 

Forestry is merely a particuhu- form of agriculrure. AVhero 
one has the choice of growing on a given tract of land grain and 
the ordinary farm products, or tiaiber of any kind, the principal 
question should be simply: Which will pay best, considering all 
the circumstances of the case? Where a state has large tracts of 
forest land, which may either be converted into' agricultural 
land or remain forest, it also should propound to itself the ques- 
tion: How can the greatest possible amount of we^alth be de- 
rived from these lands, having regard to long periods of time 
and all the surrounding conditions? If the answer is: By turn- 
ing these lands into farms, then the policy of the state should be 
to encourage that result. If the answer is: By preserving and 
properly managing the forests growing on them, then the state 
should pass such l-aws as will help to accomplish that object. 

Wisconsin has in its unsettled portions many thousand acres 
of fertile lands which can without doubt be put to no better use 
than to get them into the possession of industrious settlers under 
aiS easy conditions as possible, who will soon .nake for them- 



selves farms and become a prosperous, intelligent and contented 
community. Tliey may be safely trusted to retain on their 
homesteads enough of the forest now covering the land, for the 
purposes of a farming region, just "as the farmers of the southern 
part of the st-ate are doing. But there are also in this state largo 
tracts where the returns whieh could fairly be expected from 
farming operations are disproportionate to the labor and capital 
required to wring a crop from the inferior soil. Yet these same 
lands, so uninviting! to the husbandma^n, have in the past'borno 
magnificent crops of pine and other timber, and there is no reason 
to doubt that they wnuld,under proper oare, "produce injthe future 
other crops of timber still moi-e magnificent. It will be the part 
of wisdom, therefore, for the state to adopt a policy which will 
encourage the use of such lands for the purpose of raising tim- 
ber crops rather than agricultural crops proj)er. 

There are other reasons which should prompt a, wise govern- 
ment to take steps looking towards the maintenance and man- 
agement of an adequate area as forest. In the first place, the 
various industries deriving their raw material from the existing 
^forests are by far the most important economic interest of Wis- 
consin, except agriculture. According to the state census of 
1895, the aggregate value of the lumber and wood manufactur- 
ing industries of Wisconsin ^\as $58,971,000. This does not in- 
clude the value of the pulpw^ood used in our paper mills; of char- 
coal and allied materials; of the enormous number of railroad 
ties, telegraph poles, fence posts and similar products of the for- 
est; nor the value of the tanbark derived from our hemlock 
groves, or any of the minor products of our forest industries. If 
this vast industry should disappear on account of the disappear"- 
ance of the forests, it would work nothing short of an economic 
revolution in the state. Many thousands of men who now de- 
rive their support from work in the mills and factories would 
find their occupation gone, and while a. few would undoubtedly 
become farmers, the great majority of them would leave for other 
states. What effect such a loss of population would have on 
the prosperity of the whole state it is needless to picture. 

Again, the influence of the removal of forests on water-flow 
and climate is one of the most important reasons why the state 
should pass laws calculated to preserve a reasonable area of land 
under forest cover. This phase of the subject is adequately 
treated in the report on the forest conditions of Northern Wis- 
consin, mentioned above, and it is superfluous to dwell again on 
the subject in this place. 

An economic consideration of no small importance is the effect 



a destruction of forests will have on the steadily growing busi- 
ness of entertaining summer residents and tourists. Hundreds 
of thousands of dollars are now spent every year in this state hy 
travelers from other sections. But what attracts these people 
is our lakes and forests. The former are to no small degree de- 
pendent for their beauty and their very existence on the latter. 
With the removal of the forest, this source of income, which 
ought to grow from year to year, would be lost to our people. 

Einally, it should not be forgotten that the question of forest 
preservation is one of guarding our people against a heavy bur- 
den of taxation. The sale of forest lands has in the past pro- 
duced a large revenue to the state treasury. 'Jluit source of rev- 
enue must, in the nature of 'things, soon disappear. But tin 
experience of other countries has shown that forests, owned and 
managed by the state, can be onade to contribute greatly to the 
public revenueis. Ought not a wise legislation to consider 
whether Wisconsin cannot in the future derive such a revenue 
from its forests in order to help to bear the necessary expenses of 
the government, which will otherwise have to be met by taxing 
the people? 

Taking it for admitted that it is worth while to pass laws oa 
the subject of forestiy, we will now discuss the question as to 
what measures should be taken by the state in this matter. The 
first question to be considered will be that of fire protection; 
then will come the question of the i-elative advantages of public 
and private ownership of forests; and finally the consideration of 
practicable steps for the fostering of either system of manage- 
ment. 



FOREST FIRES. 

Without scMue efi'ective system of protection against forest 
fires, there is no hope of placing the forest industries of Wiscon 
sin on a stable basis. This matter is of more urgent necessity 
than anything else connected with the subject. The enormous 
injury done to the forests of the state by fire is fully set forth in 
the report on Forest Conditions. But the tale there told refers 
only to the material in the forests tliemselves. ' It says nothing 
of the homesteads, villages and cities destroyed, noi of the untold 
misery caused l)y the destruction of human life "n such appall- 
ing disasters as the Phillips fire, which is still fresh in the memory 
of the people, or the horrible occurrences at Turtle Lake, Cum 
berland and elsewhere, during the fall of 1898. 



The prevention of foi*est fires is clearly as onuch a duty of the 
public authorities as the prevention and extinguishment of firet 
in cities. If the expenditure of money for that purpose is nec- 
essary, the people will not gnidge it any more than they refusi 
to be taxed for the maintenance of fire departments in cities. 
If it is found that the expense of guarding against fires is to- 
great for the slender means of the towns and counties in tli 
forest districts, it is but fair that the state at large should con- 
tribute, for the whole state will be benefited by the result. 

For some years there has been on our statute books a law de- 
signed- to establish a forest and marsh fire police, and there is no 
doubt that much good has been accomplished by its administra- 
tion. The way in which it has worked, together with many 
wise suggestions as to its improvement, will be found in the bi- 
(jnnial report of the state forest warden, Mr. Egbert Wyman. 
There is consequently no need, in further legislation, to depart 
from the direction already taken. All that is required is r, 
further development of the measures already adopted. 

The amendments so required, in the opinion of this commis- 
Bion, are as follows: 

1. There sliould l)e an adequate machinery for the supervision 
of the local fire wardens. This supervision is now entrusted to 
the chief clerk of the land ofiice, who may appoint one clerk in 
said office as his deputy. Tliese two officials have important 
other duties to perfonn which keep them in Madison. They 
cannot possibly devote much of their time to work in the field. 
There is consequently no arieans of seeing to it that the local war- 
dens do their duty. It s^tands to reason that a warden who 
through incapacity or negligence fails to see that fires in his dis- 
trict are prevented or extinguished as far as possible, is as bad 
if not worse than no warden at all. 

2. The officials appointed to supervise the local wardens 
should have power themselves to begin proceedings against vio- 
lators of the fire laws, and it should be the duty of the district 
attorneys to prosecute such cases whenever called upon. At 
present) is left to the discretion of district attorneys whether they 
will prosecute or not. 

3. Local wardens should be encouraged to enforce the penal 
clauses of the fire law by being given one-half of the fines im- 
posed after conviction through their instrumentality. 

4. It is not fair that the toAvns in which fiies occur should 
bear the whole expense of the fire police. The prevention of 
forest fires is a matter which is of the utmost importance to the 
whole state, as well as to the immediate neighborhood. Th( 



towns in which forest fires are most likely to do damage are 
mostly among those least able to expend money for their pre- 
vention and extinguishment. It would be both fair and 
prudent, if the state cares to have forest fires prevented, to 
have the towns reimbursed by the state for one-half of all ex- 
penses incurred under the forest fire law. The fact that all sucL 
bills must first be audited and allowed 'by the town boards will be 
a guarantee against excessive and fraudulent claims, as the towi 
supervisors will presumably have means of ascertaining the facts 
which state ofiicials at a distance might often lack. 

The exact manner in which these improvements of the fire law 
can be effected will be discussed below in the detailed comment 
on the bill accompanying this report. But a few words shoula 
be added here as to what may and what may not be reasonabl;^; 
expected in the way of preventing this arch-enemy of Wisconsin 
forests. It would be too much to hope for an entire disappear- 
ance of destructive forest fires in the near future. That gnni 
cannot approximately be reached until the entire forest area of 
the state has been brought into a condition of cultivation such as 
is known in the forests of Prussia and Saxony. As long as lum- 
bering operations leave a mass of uncared for debris; as long as 
there are hundreds of square miles with practically no roads; and 
as long as hunters and woodsmen are careless in leaving camp 
fires unguarded at a distance of miles from the nearest settlement^ 
so long there will be forest fires. On the other hand, it is imworthj 
of the prudence and energy of the American people to submit to 
the annual infliction of such a calamity with the stolidity uf 
Turks, as if they were unavoidable like earthquakes. It should 
not be forgotten that practically every forest fire is the result of. 
the culpable negligence, or worse, of some individual. More- 
over, every forest fire has a very small beginning and can at firs 
easily be put out. A community which allows the smoke of 
small fires to arise for days at a time, during a dry season, with- 
out taking Steps to extinguish them, has only itself to blame if 
finally it is overtaken by such frightful disasters as the Phillips 
fire of 18t)4, or the fires of the fall of 1898. 

The occurrences in Barron County during tlie latter season, 
when hundreds of settlers lost all they had, and still greater calam- 
ities were with difficulty averted, has called public attention to 
this matter of forest fires with renewed force. The charity of 
the people of the state has not failed to attempt an alleviation oi 
the suffering. The power of the state has been called in for the 
same purpose, and properly so. But would it not be more hu- 
mane, more prudent, and at the same time more economical, if 



the state took the necessary steps to prevent the recnrrence of 
such things? Even when one look^ at the matter simply from the 
lowest standpoint of donars and cents, it is plain that he people 
of the stricken community as well as the state at large would be 
much better off if they spent a few hundred dollai-s annually for 
the proper policing of the threatened districts. The damage 
done bj the iires of last autumn is not confined to the immediate 
destruction of property and the injury done to the soil. Far 
more serious is the injury arising from the set-back which thi 
settlecnent and development of every locality must receive in 
which such disasters threaten the new-ccaner. To fail in doinj. 
everything possible to remedy this evil, even at much greater ex- 
pense than will actually be necessary, would justly expose the 
representatives of the people to the charge of having flagranti > 
neglected the duties with which they are entrusted. 

The ultimate object of every effective fire law^ must be to make 
it impossible for any fire to get a start anywhere without coming .k 
once under the obser^^ation of some one who will make it his 
business to put it out or to notify immediately the nearest fire 
warden who will attend to its extinguishment. To accomplish 
this end it is neeessaiy not only to appoint a large numl)ei- of local 
fire wardens, but above all to foster the development of a public 
opinion among the people of the forest districts, which will frown 
upon negligence in the handling of fire in the woods as a disgrace- 
ful crime. Every means should be used to create such a public. 
opinion where it does not now exist, and to this end the school, 
the press, the pulpit and every other possible agency slutuld be 
used. 

With these principles firmly held in view there is every reasor> 
to believe that legislation can be so shaped that forest fires will 
soon be a rare event among the mature timber, and will be the 
exception and not as now the i*ule, in areas of new growth. With 
such a condition of things, any money or effort spent on the 
permanent cultivation of forests will be a business-like proposi- 
tion, sure to benefit the people by feeding its industries, and 
reasonably certain to yield a direct pecuniary return uj^on the 
investment. 



PRIVATE a:n^d public management of for- 
ests. 

Apart from questions of climate and water flow the interest 
which the state has in the forests contained within its area is of 



10 

a twofold jiatiire. In the first place, they may be considered 
as a source of public revenue; in the second place, they are of 
importance as one of the most important sources of the wealth 
of the people. A revenue may be obtained from the forests by 
taxing them as other proprety is taxed. Or the state may own 
forests and manage them for jirofit as a private owner of forest 
lands would. Import a'nt as foa-ests are considered as sources of 
revenue to the state, this consideration is greatly overshadowed 
in the ease of Wisconsin, by their importance as the foundation 
of industries and the producers of (^ertain uecessaries of civilized 
life. 

From whichever side, however, tlie question is approached, 
the state, in framing its policy, must solve the question whether 
it is of greater advantage if the forests are owned by the state 
and its subdivisions; or by private corporations and individuals^ 
or whether a mixed system is the best. It has not, heretofore', 
been the policy of the state to hold forest lands permanently, let 
alone to go into the 'business of managing them for profit. Any 
departure from the present policy must justify itself by show- 
ing that the permanent Qiiaintenance of forests is not likely to be 
accomplished if left entirely to private interests. To show 
merely that state ownership would produce a revenue is not sufii- 
cient. For there might be many reasons why one would rather 
raise such revenues in a diiferent manner. But the protection 
of the wealth and industry of the people is the foremost consid- 
eration, and if that can be assured only by state management, 
then state management should be adopted, no matter how radical 
a departure from precedent such a policy might appear. 



PRIVATE OWNERSHIP. 

Forests will be maintained by private individuals and associa- 
tions on one condition only. They must .see a fair prospect for, 
a reasonable profit on the capital invested in them. It is true 
that a few scattered tracts may be kept here and there b/ 
wealthy persons or clubs for the purposes of pleasure grounds or 
game preseiwes. But such tracts would be too small in their 
aggregate extent to rely upon for the forests of which the people 
of the state stand in need. The main question, then, to be con- 
sidered in this connection is: Have we any assurance that for- 
estry in Wisconsin, aside from lumbering in the maimer now 
prevailing, will be so profitable in the near future as to attract 
investors? 



11 



Wood crops are of slow growth; the age at which it is most 
profitable to cut down a tract of forest is undei' ordinary cii'cum- 
etances the time wlien the value of the annual increase of timber 
equals the interest on the investment, together with the cost of 
management. If the cutting is delayed longer, the progressive 
decay of the trees which have gone beyond their full maturity 
decreases the value of the 'annual increase to a figure below the 
iiiinual cost, and the owners lose instead of gaining every year. 
If the cutting takes place earlier, the full amount of timber 
which might be realized from the tract is not harvested. Now 
this age, for white pine, is in the neighborhood of a hundred 
years, for most of the other valuable timber trees, a similarly 
high one, and only a few species of inferior quality have a ma- 
terially shorter perioil within which to reach maturity. It is 
true tliat the final cut is not the only revenue which the forest 
yields. At intervals during the period of growth, much valu- 
able material may l)e removed from it by thinnings and icnprovo- 
ment cuttings, and under favorable conditions there may be a rev- 
enue from certain by-products, as berries, game, etc. But ail 
this will never amount to a very considerable pecuniary yield. 

Under these conditions a forest owner cannot expect a regular 
annual profit out of his investment, unless he has tracts of timber 
in all stages of maturity, from the seedling to the tree ripe for 
the axe, so that he may cut and market sufficient material every 
year to yield a profit on the whole investament. It is clear there- 
fore that forestry, as a l>usiness by itself, must be conducted on a 
very large scale in order to be prohtable. In Wisconsin, where 
there are now practically no cultivated forests, a private owner 
would have to possess so large an amount of land covered with 
the original forest, that he could divide it up into a hundred lots, 
each large enough to yield tind)er sufficient to pay a profit on 
the whole investment, less so much material as could be culled 
from the other lots, and yet leave their yield large enough when 
their respective time for cutting arrived. 

^uch ideal conditions are un/attainalde. In the vast majority 
of cases a private owner in Wisconsin, who wishes to make his 
forests permanently profitable, will find himself olvliged, after 
he has removed the merchantable timber originally foimd, to 
wait a. more or less prolonged period before he can expect addi- 
tional revenue. If he owns, as most men do, lands which are 
entirely denuded of timber, only his children or grandchildren 
will see a new final harvest. The final yield may be amply 
sufficient to pay for the costs of management, together ^^dth the 
accrued interest on the capital invested. But a man cannot live 



12 



on profits which will not flow into his pockets until lifty or a 
hundred years from now. It is very unlikely, therefore, that 
any investors will undertake the task of caring for the denuded 
lands in Wisconsin, while the tedious process of restocking them 
is going on. Here and there a large corporation may see its 
way clear to take up such an enterprise, and occasionally an in- 
dividual man of wealth may sink some of his fortune in restock- 
ing limited areas lor the 'benefit of his descenaant.s. P>ut the 
greater portion of denuded lands will no doubt be left by their 
owners to grow up into useless brushlands, as has been the cus 
ton I heretofore. 

JSTor is there any reason to believe that the pine lauds still 
stocked with merchantable timber, as far as they are in private 
hands, will be treated differently, in the future, frcwi the meih- 
ods now prevailing. The dread of destruction by fire, as well 
as the growing scarcity of pine, and the burden of taxation, will 
cause lumbermen to cut trees of every size that will make a mer- 
chantable log, long before they have reached their maturity 
The exigencies of the lumber business, as now conducted every- 
where in this country, demand that the largest possible amount 
of cash be realized immediately from any given tract of timiber 
land. Wisconsin lumber concerns would be quite unable to 
compete witli tliose of other states if they pursued a different 
policy. 

Even in those countries where lumbering is usually done with 
due regard tO' the reproduction of the crop, private owners con- 
stantly succumb to the temptation of converting growing forests 
into cash by premature cutting. Financial embarrassments or 
the hope of investing the proceeds in enterprises which promise 
higher profits than forestry, are sufficient to make them forget, 
the interests of the connnunity or future generations. It is. 
therefore the policy of cnost of these countries, notably the Ger- 
man states and France, tO' gradually do away with private for- 
ests, and large sums are annually expended by these goveruments 
to add by the purchase of private lands to the already exteuijive 
area of state forests. 

There is one class of forest lands to which the considerations- 
above detailed do not apply. Farmers in all parts of the statR 
follow the wise custom of maintaining "timber lot.s" for the 
supply of firewood, fencing materials, and similar vises. Unfor- 
tunately these tracts are often treated in so unskillful a manner 
that they constantly deteriorate. The best trees are culled out 
year after year, and no care is taken for their reproduction, so 
that after a while only runts and worthless species remain. 



13 



Moreover, very often no regard is had for the n aintenance of a 
proper soil cover and windmantle,., so that the s >i\ becomes pro- 
gressively less fertile. It is clearly the duty of the state to aid 
farmers in o'btaining the necessary infomiation for the manage- 
ment of these valuable portions of agricultural holdings, just as 
information on other subjects is spread by means of the Agri- 
cultural Experiment Station, Farmers' Institutes, etc. Further- 
more, large quantities of excellent hardwood lumber, suitable for 
manufacturing purposes, are annually wasted as firewood for the 
lack of a market. The few trees of this kind, annually cut in 
a given farming region, are not in the aggregate sufficient to 
waiTaiit the erection of a saw mill in the neighborhood. If 
there were a sufficient tract of forest land, apart from the faran 
timber lots, in the vicinity to supply the required amount of 
material to a mill, the farmers would share in the market so pro- 
vided, and be able to dispose of some of their timber at profit- 
able prices. So it appears that even aside from climatic con- 
siderations the settlers who are now turning a portion of the for- 
est laiTcls in the northern part of the state into farms are directly 
interested in keeping another portion permanently under forest 
cover. 

Leaving out of account these farm timber lots, which by them- 
selves are utterly inadequate to provide the extent of foresD 
needed in Wisconsin, there is very little prospect of private cap- 
ital being attracted into forestry as a business. If the state is 
to possess forests and lumber industries in the future, it mu'^t 
rely principally on public action. The state must gradually and 
with as little of a 'burden on the taxpayers as possible acquire 
a sufficient extent of forest area. ISText it must establish the 
necessary machinery to protect, supervise and manage these for- 
ests on business principles. This machinery should be very 
simple in its incipiency, but so arranged that it can easily be 
extended as the need for it arises and the financial condition of 
the department warrants. In this way the state will be enabled 
to furnish to the lumbering and other industries which draw theit' 
raw material from forests a permanent supply. Private capital 
will feel secure in investing in enterprises which need not be 
afraid of having their raw material run out, while the people will 
find their taxes materially reduced by the revenues the stat3 
wiU derive from its forests. This is the condition of things ex- 
isting in most countries of Europe, as well as in British India and 
other laifds where a business-like forestry policy has been 
adopted. 

This leads us naturally to a consideration of the public lands 
still existing; in the state of Wisconsin. 



14 



PUBLIC LANDS. 

According to the data furnished this commission by the land 
office there were on the 1st day of {September, 181)8, 364,000 
acres of state land remaining unsold. jSTearly all of this land is 
covered with forest and but a small proportion is reasonably fit 
for agriculture, although a considerable amount might 'be nuado 
so by proper drainage. Most of these tracts are rather scattered,, 
it being a comparatively rare thing to find a considerable number 
of forties in a contiguous tract. 

By far the greater part of these lands were obtained l)y the 
state under the swamp land act of 1850 and much of it is actual 
swamp. There are some school lands left, but .very little uni- 
versity and agricultural college land. There is also a moderatL"^ 
amount of indemnity land. In additioii there are in the state. 
outside of Indian reservations, nearly 500,000 acres of govern 
auent land, subject to entry under the homestead law. 

Heretofore it has been the policy of the state to dis[)()se of its 
lands as fast as possible. As long as rliere was no ju-ovisiou 
made for the proper care of the forests covcM'ing must of these 
tracts, that was undoubtedly the wisest plan, for withdiit such 
care the standing timber was sure to become a prey to fire an-] 
windfalls, without any benefit to the state, lint if it is decided 
that there shall be in the future state forests properly cai-ed for 
and protected, it would evidently be absurd to sell the small rem- 
nant of forest land still belonging to the people and afterward^ 
purchasing new lands which have already been deprived of their 
merchantable timber and cannot furnish a revv /ine for a long 
series of years. Very little of these state lands will Uc pur- 
chased by actual settlers for agricultural pnrposes. The buyers 
w^ill be lumbermen who will remove the merchantable tinibei 
and leave the denuded lands to become useless wastes, as so raany 
thousands of acres of similar land have already been left. The 
proceeds of the sale of these lands are paid to the school and 
normal funds, and in part to the counties within the limits oi 
which they are situated. Over the school lands the legislaturt 
has no control. The land commissioners, however, may with 
hold such lands from sale whenever they shall deem it expedient. 
(Const., Art. X, Sec. 8.) Over the lands granted by the act of 
1850, the legislature has practically unlimited control. Thi;< 
has been established by a long line of decisions in both the state 
and federal courts. The legislature has acted accoitlingly by 
devoting one-half of these lands to the support of the normal 



35 

fichools, while the other half is given to the respective counties. 
It would be obviously unwise to deprive these beneficiaries of 
the revenues to be derived from these lands. But if one con- 
siders that most of them are now sold for less than their fail 
value, and certainly for much less than they will be worth in tho 
future, it is evident that the beneficiaries would be the gainers 
if the sale were stopped entirely for the present. The pine an«i 
other merchantable titmber on these lands is in such condition 
that good business policy demands its removal just as soon as 
feasible with due regard to transportation and marketing facili 
ties. In all the mature woods the annual increase of materia' 
is about balanced by the annual decay. But under the condi 
tions now prevailing in the state, fire, windfalls and the conse- 
quent damage by insects, destroy so much good timber every 
year that the loss cannot be approximately made up by the an- 
nual increase through natural growth. Consequently the state 
forests are sufi:'ering a constant deterioration. This process can 
be stopped in no way save by the removal, as soon as practicable, 
of the dead and down timber and such standing pine, at leas:.' 
as is in danger of destruction. Tlie rational and business-like way 
of procedure would be to sell the timber which is to be removed' 
without parting with the land. The logging should be done by 
the purchasers under the supervision of the state and with du- 
regard to the reproduction of the timber by leaving a sufficient 
nmnber of seed trees and guarding against fire. The proceeds 
of the timber sales should be paid over to the proper benefici- 
aries, and it is not unreasonable to expect that the latter would 
realize in this manner as large amounto as they now obtain from 
the sale of the fee. The lands, however, would remain the prop- 
erty of the state, and if properly cared for would in tifme pr<jduce 
a new revenue, far greater than the first. 

The objection is sometimes raised ti. the maintenance of largo 
tracts of public lands within a county that the development of 
the region is thereby retarded, and that the county loses the 
taxes which the land would yield if held by private parties. It 
needs no very complicated chain of reasoning to show that thes' 
objections are ill-founded and short-sighted. The development 
of all our northern counties has heretofore been based far more 
on the lumber industry than on farfming. In all those districts 
where the soil is inferior this will continue tO' be the case. Evei> 
in the hardwood districts, where the soil is well adapted to agri- 
culture, the disappearance of the forest industries would be a 
serious calamity. There are now dozens of cities and villages 
where the inhabitants have begun to wonder what will become; of 



16 

tlieni when the timber is gone and the mills close down. Every- 
body has seen settlements veiy prosperous ten years ago, which 
are now abandoned by almost all their former inhabitants. The 
lands which it is proposed to keep permanently in the hands of the 
state are of the kind which do not attract the agricultural settler. 
After the timber growing on them has been cut they will, if left 
to themselves, become wastes, and what will then be the fate of 
the villages situated in their midst? They will have neither the 
industries depending on the forests, nor the trade derived from a 
prospering farfming country. Real estate and improvements 
will lose their value, and the inhabitants will have to move to 
regions where the people have better business sense. So it is 
clear that every measure which tends to put the forest industries 
on a permanent footing is of the highest benefit and absolutely 
essential to the continuous development of every county which 
has within it tracts of non-agricultural lands. 

The objection based upon the supposed necessity of taxing 
these lands is equally short-sighted. Pine lands are productive 
of taxes only as long as merchantable timber is standiug on them. 
Experience has shown that many owners of pine lands will not 
pay taxes on them after the timber is cut. Even if they did, the 
value of cut-over lands is so small that the revenue produced is 
hardly worth counting. On the other hand, a considerable tract 
of land, held by the state, properly guarded and managed as a 
forest should be, will produce a continuous revenue, part of 
which will in many cases go directly to the county. In additiou 
the forest will, directly and indirectly, give employment to a 
large number of people who will pay taxes on property accmnu- 
lated by them, so that in the end the county and town treasuries 
"will receive much larger sums than they ever will under the 
present system. 

If the sale of state lands is stopped entirely for the present it 
follows by no means that not another forty of state land should 
ever be sold. After a proper forestry administration has been 
established, one of its first duties will naturally be to examine the 
precise conditions of every part of the public domain. If it be 
found that any particular tract by reason of soil, condition or 
location, would be more economically used as a farm than as a 
forest, there is no reason why it should not be sold by the state. 

The lands owned by the government are somewhat larger in 
extent than those of the state. They are substantially of the 
same character as the state lands. The greater portion of them 
will never be required by actual settlers for fairming purposes. 
In the meantime the timber growing on them is liable to the 



17 

same process of deterioration and destruction as that on the state 
lands. It would obviously 'be desirable that the state obtain 
title to these lands so that they could be treated in the same 
manner as the state lands now owned l)y it. It seems I'easona'hle to 
hope that C-ongress, if it sees that the state is prc^parcd lo manage 
these lands in a way which will preserve and improve the for- 
ests growing thereon, will prefer l<» cede them rather than hav;' 
them reni'ain useless. Every effort should therefore he made by 
the people of the state and its repr(>selltati\•<^- at the <eat of the 
federal government, to obtain Wn- the state lith' tn the g()V(n'!i- 
ment lands within her borders. 

The combined areas of the government and present slate lands 
would be a sufficient nucleus for a system of state forests. They 
would by no means be large enough for all future times, l)ut they 
would be a i>ood beuinnini;-. 



TIIK DEN UDKl) LANDS. 

By far the most dithcult [)arf of the forest problem in AVis- 
consiu is the (luestion as to what shall be done with tliose large 
tracts now e:^isting which have heen denuded of the pine for- 
merly growing on tliem, and now lie idle, subject to the ravages 
of the fire. The pi'esent condition of these tracts and their })ros- 
pects for the future are ably treated in the Report on Forest Con- 
ditions. It ajipears that in their present uncared-for situation 
tliey are liable to a ju'ogressive deterioration of tiie soil. Thar 
most (if them are ca})able, however, of i-estocking tlnMnselves 
vi'ith pine without expensive sylvicultural operations, [)rovided 
fires are kept out, is just as certain. Sonu' jiarts of these land^^, 
of considerable extent in the aggregate, but small in proportion 
to the whole area, have already begun to restock tlu-niselv(^s Iti 
this manner. The opinion which foumerly widely prevailc'l, 
that white jiine did not reproduce itself on areas where it has 
been cut off, luit gave way to poplar and other inferior species, 
has been proven erroru'ous by ol)servations l)oth in this state and 
elsewhere. 

AVhile it is perfectly feasible to restock these hinds with pine, 
it it quite as undeniably true that the bulk of them will not be so 
restocked as long as they are left to themselves. If no steps are 
taken towards a proper care these millions of acres will become 
wildernesses of scrub, covered according to circumstances witli 
crippled aspen, rants of jack }>ine, dwarf oak, or even merely 
coarse grass and sweet fern. That cmidition they will remain in 
2 



18 

for an indefinite period. This is no mere assumjDtion, but pre- 
cisely what has happened in other states where similar conditions 
have prevailed. In all parts of the East, from JMassachiisetts 
to the Oarolinas, immense tracts exist which formerly were cov- 
ered with heavy timber. The forests were cut and the lands 
left to themselves in the same improvident manner which we 
have heretofore followed. Now these tracts, although they are 
still called woodlands, do not produce a single stick of saw tim- 
ber, nor even firewood, that could be sold at a reasonable price 
per cord. This condition has existed in some cases for a hun- 
dred years and there is not the slightest prospect for improve- 
ment. These lands anight as well not exist as far as the prosper- 
ity of the community is concerned in which they are situated. 
Similar tracts can be seen within ten miles of Chicago. 

Some people may think that these cut-over lands will in time 
become of agricultural importance. Tliey cite the fact that here 
and there a settler makes his home in sucli places, because he 
can buy the land for almost nothing, or because he has been 
misled by ignorance and inexperience. By taking advantage or 
every depression, where the wash from the adjacent slopes may 
have improved the soil a little, he manages to raise a pitiable 
crop. But what can such isolated attcanpts amount to when the 
entire area of this character comes into play? On other 
tracts with sliglitly better soil it may be nossible to raise potatoes 
with profit. But the prosperity of a whole community cannot 
he based on a single crop. If lands of this character had any 
prospects of agricultural use one would think that the large sandy 
tracts along the Wisconsin river, in Adams and other counties 
which have long been settled, would not remain idle as they 
do. Moreover, the settlers on such lands, as far as there are 
any, are usually immigrants who bring from their native coufi- 
tries very low standards of living. By dint of having very few 
needs as compared with farmers of native American, German, 
British or Scandinavian nationality, they manage to cnake a 
living where those others would starve. But they remain mis- 
erably poor all their lives, ignorant and unambitious. It cer- 
tainly cannot be in the interest of the state of Wisconsin to 
people large portions of its territory^ with ''crackers." 

There is consequently no prospect that our denuded lands will 
1)0 put to agricultural uses. The only way, therefore, in which 
they can be made useful is to restO'ck them with the timber which 
formerly covered them and for which they are peculiarly adapt- 
ed. But we have already seen that it is improbable that any 
considerable number of private parties will find it profitable to 
Take the steps which are necessai-y to reach this end. Yet most 



19 



of these lands are owned b.v private parties, principally the lum- 
bering concerns which have cut the pine. It seems therefore 
that it would be necessaiy for the state to first obtain title to these 
lands. 

Other states, notably New York and Pennsylvania, have 
within a few years appropriated very large amounts of money 
for the purchase of lands on which state forests are to be main- 
tained. Wisconsin is hardly in a position, at present, to take a 
similar step. As these lands may, with proper management, be 
made to pay some revenue in thirty years, it would be simplest 
to purchase them with scrip payable after thirty years. The 
lands would then practically pay for themselves. Unfortunately 
the state constitution prohibits the incurring of a state debt for 
such a purpose. It might be feasible, however, to authorize the 
counties to purchase lands for scrip of this character. The lands 
so purchased by the counties, might be managed under the super- 
vision of the state and the net revenues credited to the counties. 
The commission has not deemed it expedient to insert in the bill 
submitted provisions for dealing with this branch of the subject. 
It has been thought better to establish at first the necessary ma- 
chinery to begin a systematic protection and management of the 
forests. The disposition to be made of the cut-over lands may 
be left to a succeeding legislature. There are many different 
interests to be consulted, and a few years of actual experience, 
in state forestry management may suggest a better plan of han- 
dling the subject than could now be devised. 

At the same time, some portions of the cut-over lands are in 
such condition as to be dealt with more easily. Over 250,000 
acres are held by counties on tax deeds; considerably more than 
this is incumbered with outstanding tax certificates held by the 
counties. There is no reason to expect that any appreciable 
amount of these certificates will ever be redeemied. The owners 
have simply abandoned these lands as worthless after taking off 
the pine timber. The present policy of the counties is to rid 
themselves of the lands so held at any price whatsoever. Large 
tracts are often sold at a nominal price. The revenue so ob- 
tained is so exceedingly small, that it need hardly be taken into 
consideration. Even after the lands are sold the assessed value 
is so low that the annual tax derived from them is almost noth- 
ing. If these tracts, on the other hand, were held permanently 
by the counties and properly cared for they would soon become 
of value. After twenty-five or thirty yeare they would be pro- 
ductive of some revenue, enough to make up for the small loss 
in taxes, and after a somewhat longer period they might in scene 
cases be sufficient to pay from their annual revenue the greater 



20 



part of the county expenses. In the meantime they would fur- 
nish employment to numerous people and greatly enhance the 
prosperity of the whole community. It is therefore eminently 
proper to authorize counties to hold such lands permanently and 
provide for their management in conjunction with the state for- 
ests. 

It has been intimated to the commissioners by several large 
owners of cut-over pine lands that they would be willing to cede 
considerable tracts of this character to the state provided the 
latter would take steps to restock them. The state ought cer- 
tainly not to refuse such generous offers, and provision is made 
in the bill herewith submitted for the acceptance of such gifts. 



METHODS OF MA^tAGEMENT. 

It will be a long time before the forests of Wisconsin will be 
in the high state of productiveness which prevails in the forests 
of Germany or France. This is not so much, as is imagined by 
some people, on account of lower cost of production or higher 
prices of lumber in the old countries. The lower wages of Eu- 
rope are about counterbalanced by the greater effectiveness of 
American, highly paid labor, aided by improved tools and im- 
plements which Yankee ingenuity never fails to devise. On the 
other hand the prices of lumber are pretty nearly the saone in this 
country and Europe. There is no reason why an American for- 
est could not with profit to the owner be brought into as high a 
state of cultivation, produce as much lumber to tlie acre and be 
as thoroughly protected as a Prussian state forest. It is all .*. 
question of time and the judicious application of capital. If 
this state had unlimited funds at its disposal every acre of forest 
land could at once be treated in such a way that there would be 
no question of the final profitableness of the enterprise. But 
it would require time to do so. Roads would have to be built; 
working plans made; large tracts would have to be planted with 
seedlings, and elsewhere the natural growth of trees would have 
to be supplenjented by planting and seeding. As funds to un- 
dertake such wholesale operations are not to be had, the state 
must do the best it can wnth the means available. It will simply 
depend on the amount of capital which you maj be willing to 
invest in the enterprise, how long it will take until the natural 
forest, with its low productiveness, shall everywhere be replaced 
by the cultivated forest which yields an incomparably larger 
amount of lumber to the acre. 

As this subject is still a new one to the people and there will 



21 

be a natural relnetance to expend large amounts of money on' 
what to many may seem an experiment, the commission has 
thonght best to recommend a yery small beginning'. It would 
obviously be uneconomical to do less than is required to prevent 
a further loss to the state by fire and other deteriorating influ- 
ences. Moreover it will l)e necessary, under any system of man*- 
agemenr, to first of all obtain the necessary data regarding the 
natural and economic conditions of each future forest tract, so 
tliat an intelligent and 'business-like ])lan for its treatment can 
be devised. It will also be necessary to institute a series of in- 
vestigations and ex])ei'iments with regard to the life conditions 
of forest trees, for the experiences had in foreign countries or 
otlier states of the rnion do not invariably admit of direct appli- 
cation under our conditions. Finally it would be desirable for 
some time to come to devote some (effort to the s])read of informa- 
tion regai'ding forestry imatters among the ])eo])le. 

After a beginning has been made in this way, tlu^ time will 
come for more detailed treatnu'ut of the various poi'tions of the 
forest area. It will very likely l)e found expedient to divide the 
whole into districts and place a forester at the head of each. The 
duty of such lan official it will tlien he first of all to make a plan 
for the manner of work in his teri'itory. Tliis plan must be 
based on tlie most carefid consideration of the topographical and 
soil conditions of the district; on the nature of the trees which it 
is intended to grow thereon; the cost of the various operations 
required; the facilities for the transportation of the forest prod- 
ucts; the circumstances of the markets; and a multitude of other 
things which will have a bewaring on the success of the under- 
taking as a business enterprise. This making of a working plan 
is the most difficult and important part of the whole forestry busi- 
ness. As it requires a long period of years before the produce of 
a. forest can be marketed a mistake made at the beginning can ia 
many cases never, be rectified and may doom a whole district to 
unprofitableness. 

The ideal goal to be reached in all forestry enterprises is to 
make every part of the forest ai'ea, yield a profit, without reduc- 
ing the capacity for repeating the operation. The profit must be 
computed on the whob^ investment, in which is to be included: 
The rental value of the land; the interest on capital invested in 
permanent plant; cost of supjilies and labor, together with inter- 
est on thti capital expended for these purposes; idiarges of depre-' 
elation in pernrancnt jdant; cost of administration; and possibly 
other items dependent on the partieidar circumstances of each 
•case. (In the case of ]>rivate ownership taxes must be added.) 

Where very large tracts of forest are managed togetlier, as 



22 



will be the case in the future state forests of Wisconsin, it will 
undoubtedly be found that there are some parts of the entire 
system which cannot be (made to yield a profit, on account of poor 
natural conditions or bad marketing facilities. In such cases it 
is sufficient if the entire system is made to show a profit. The 
unprofitable tracts must be carried along with as little outlay as 
possible, and may at least be made to yield some revenue. It 
would be good policy for the state to maintain a system of forests 
even if it had to run every part of it at a loss. For it needs 
forests in order to keep its climate from deteriorating and to 
maintain the prosperity of its people. But there is no reason to 
doubt that forest management in Wisconsin will yield a reason- 
able profit. 

After the making of the working plan for each district willcome 
the actual work of improving the forest. The natural growth of 
the trees which it is decided to raise is fostered by all the means of 
the forester's art, while the undesirable species are gradually 
got rid of and their new growth prevented. AVherever advisa- 
ble, the natural re-forest"ation is aided by planting or seeding; as 
time progresses, improvement cuttings are made, and a partial 
revenue obtained. In the meantime roads are built, and grad- 
ually everything is brought into readiness for the final harvest. 
This takes place at difl:"erent times in different portions of the 
district, so that after a while the district will contain lots stocked 
with trees of all stages of growth and a portion become ripe for 
marketing every year. 

These stages in the development of a forestry system cannot 
be reached in AVisconsin for many years, and it is not necessary 
to provide the needed administrative machinery at the present 
time. For. the tasks which will be the first to be performed 
and which have been enumerated above, the bill submitted by 
the commission contains the following plan: 



THE FOEESTRY DEPAETMENT. 

There is no reason why the number of administrative boards 
should be increased. The attorney general, state treasurer and 
secretary of state, who now perform the same functions for the 
land office, may just as well constitute the supervising and audit- 
ing authorities of the forestry department. This will save the 
expense connected with the work even of unpaid commission.?.. 
The bill, therefore, provides for the appointment of a Superin- 
tendent of Forests by the officials named, who shall be the re- 
sponsible head of the department, subject, however, to the finan- 



23 



cial coutrol of the board composed of those officers. The suc- 
cess and efficiency of the department will depend principally on 
the qualifications of the superintendent, who should be a man of 
executive ability, and sufficiently interested in the work to fam- 
iarize himself with all its details as they gradually develop. In 
order to obtain such a man it is necessary to offer a fair salary, 
and to make the incumbent feel secure enough in his position to 
make it worth his while to put in his best efforts. For this 
reason the bill makes the term of the superintendent a long one, 
and one that overlaps with the terms of the elective state officers. 
A change in the office of superintendent every two years, ac- 
cording to the exigencies of party politics, would be fatal to the 
whole enterprise. Such a system may do well enough in offices 
the routine of which is established and has only to be followed 
by the new incumbent. But in the proposed forestry deparc- 
ment everything must firet be created. Methods, routine, prece- 
dents, and this formative period will extend over a long series 
of years. 

The subordinate officials ought to be appointed by the head 
of the department. There need be but few of these at the start. 
A deputy and a clerk or two is all that will 'be required at first, 
in addition to the local fire wardens and such temporary help 
in the field as may 'be from time to time required. The increase 
of the permanent department staff ought, of course, not- to be 
left to the arbitrary judgment of the superintendent. The bill 
lodges this duty with the supervising board. With this board 
is also left the authority to decide on the selection of lands for the 
permanent forest reserve, the making of contracts for* the cut- 
ting, etc., of timber on state lands, the duty of auditing the ac- 
counts of the department, etc. 

The duties of the superintendent and his assistants cannot be 
defined in detail, as much regarding the (methods to be pursued 
must necessarily depend on circumstances as they arise from tim^^ 
to time. The amount and kind of work done by the department 
will depend in no small degree upon the size of the appropriation 
which each succeeding legislature will make for the purpose. 
The larger the appropriations, the more speedily can the forest 
system be brought into such shape that it will first pay for its 
own support and after a while become a source of profit. But; 
under any circumstances will a certain period elapse before this 
can be done. 

The first task to be done is, of course, the selection of the land, 
which must be made, evidently, in conjunction with the present 
land office. Even if no more state lands are to be sold, the work 
of the latter department will continue for a long while, to wind 



24 



up the transactions now pending witli purchasers of land. But 
its work will contract considerably, and some of the expense in- 
cun-ed for the forest department will 'be saved on the score of 
the land office. After the new department has obtained the 
lands which it is to manage, it must find out what they are like. 
For the purpose of forest management this must of course bo 
done much more thoroughly than has been done as to a part of 
the state domain by the land office. This part of the work will 
take, therefore, years to accom];)lisli, and this survey of the land, 
together with the supervision of the local fire wardens, will take 
a large portion of the time of the superintendent and his assistant. 

The supervision of the local fire ])nlice should be of such a 
character that not only should the departmcnr receive regular 
reports from the local wardens, but the latter slmuld be liable, at 
any unforeseen (moment, to receive a visit from the superintend- 
ent, who should have authority to call upon them for explana- 
tion in cases of neglect of duty, to reoiove them when found 
guilty, and in flagrant cases of negligence ti) enforce a ]ienalty 
by prosecution in court. 

A number of experiment stations, wliich slioiiM ;it the same 
time servo as model forests, should be established by the depart 
ment at the earliest possible moment. The experiments to be 
conducted should be of a twofold nature: Partly sylvicultural, 
partly of a more strictly biological sort, and for this purpose the 
department ought to have a right to count on the assistance of 
other scientific agents of the state, notably members of the 
Geological Survey and the State University. Experiments, of 
course, ai'e a source of expense, and the value of these stations 
a.s model forests will necessarily be impaired by the outlay for 
experimentation. But means will probably be found to keep 
the two objects of these stations as much apart a.s possible. Re- 
garding the (wpense of this part of the work, it should again be 
remembered that much or little can be accomplished with them 
according to the amount of money available. Even a small ap- 
propriation, however, should be fruitful of some good. It would 
be superfluous to enter upon the detail of the work to be done at 
these stations. It will be of a more or less technical character, 
and will be useful in proportion to the skill of the persons in 
charge of it. 

Much importance ought to he attached, especially during the 
infancy of the systcdn, to the educational work of the department. 
The superintendent and his assistant should be men competent 
to deliver popular lectures on forestry subjects, and should do so 
whenever op])ortunity arises in schools, colleges, farmers' insti- 
tutes, etc. Thev should also, from time to time, publish bulle- 



25 



tins containing inforni'ation regarding forestry affairs, and use 
all other availa])le means to instruct the people in their specialty. 
The forest system of the state cannot lie snccessfnl unless it has 
that energetic and sympathetic support of the peo])le which its 
importance for the puhlic welfni'c sd richly deserves. 

The provisions of the hill sulimitted herewith, which hiave not 
been touched upon above, easily explain themselv(\s. They arc 
of an administrative nature, designed to 1)ring the proposed new 
department into harmony witli the general srdHflne of the state 
iidministration. 



In conclusion, this (•niinuission wishes to emphasize once morv^, 
the following points: 

1. The estiablishment of a system of stare forests is a neces- 
sity, not only for the protection of the climate and waterflow of 
the state, hut for the purpose of j)roviding a sufficient supply of 
raw material to the various lumber and wood industries of the 
state. The necessary steps toward tliii end cannot be delayed 
any longer with safety to the public welfare. 

2. The establishment of such a system is entirely feasible. 
There are no obstacles of a physical, economic or financial nature 
which cannot with modei'ate effort be overconne. 

3. It will take a series of years and some initiatory outlay 
to fairly establish such a system. However, the money so ex- 
pended at first will after a reasonable time return into the state 
treasury, and the system, once fairly est^iblished, will yield a 
large annual income that will to a proportionate extent do away 
witii the necessity of taxation. 

4. The idea of maniaging forests by the state so as to obtain 
an annual revenue ami yet not destroy the forests themselves 
is not the project of a dreaming idealist, nor an experiment which 
may or may not succeed, but has long been an accomplished 
fact in nearly every highly civilized community outside of the 
XTnited States, including countries of such widely different con- 
ditions as Germany, France, Russia and British India. 

Respec tf nil v subm i t ted , 

GEO. B. BUKROWS. 
H. C. PUTNAM. 
ERNEST BRUXCavEN. 
State Forestry Commission. 



26 



APPENDIX. 



POKESTRY PvEFORM MEASUPtES ADOPTED BY 
OTHER STATES. 

By Ernest Bnincken, Secv. State Forestry Commission. 

The states of the nnioii in which more substantial progress ha^ 
been made towards a business-like treatment of forestry resources 
than in any other are ISTew York and Pennsylvania. The secre- 
tary of the commission ^Yas sent to acquaint himself personally 
with the conditions existing and measures adopted in thoso states, 
and found that while in many details the steps there taken cannot 
be imitated under Wisconsin conditions, in the main the circum- 
stances of those states are the same as here, and substantially the 
same remedies which ha\'e served there will be useful to correct 
existing evils in Wisconsin. The secretary takes this oppor- 
tunity to express his thanks to the state ofhcials and other gen- 
tlemen in the states \'isited by him, for the many courtesies ex- 
tended to him during his investigiations. 

The state of New York is distinguished above many others 
for the comparatively small loss it has, of late years, suffered 
from forest fires. This is due in part to natural conditions, in 
part to adequate and well-enforced legislation. The forests of 
'New York, as is well known, are practically all located in the 
region of the Adirondack Mountains. They are prevailingly 
composed of 'broad-leaved species, especially birches and maple, 
but there is a very considerable amount of spruce and fir inter- 
mingled with the hardwood trees. The spruce is the principal 
tree furnishing commercial timber. Of white pine there is prac- 
tically no merchantiable supply left; bu.t in many places young 
pine was observed growing up vigorously. It is said that pine 
comes up on abandoned farm clearings, while in places where the 
original growth was destroyed by fire white birch and aspen are 
the, successors. To what extent this observation is correct, wo 
are unable to judge. Certain it is that many tracts were ob 
served covered with aspen of sufficient size to serve for pulpwood 
if a market could be found for them. In other places the aspen 



serves as a iiiu'se tree for spruce, which kills them oif when it is 
of siifficient size to overshadow therxi. This is illustrated by nu- 
merous photographs in the office of the superintendent of forests 
in Albany. On the higher mountain slo])es the trees of all kinds 
become very sciiibby and quite valueless for lumbering purposes. 
Some of the highest peaks, such as Mount Marcy, are entirely 
devoid of forest growth for a considerable distance from their 
tops down. In fact there are very large tracts of land in this 
region which on account of their mountainous character and con- 
sequent inaccessibility will never be made to yield a profit, or 
even a considerable revenue, even with the most earef\il methods 
of management. 

Agriculture in the jSTew York forest region plays a ver}'' sub- 
ordinate part and is confined chiefly to the broader valleys. Lum- 
bering operations are now carried on principally on the western 
side of the mountain complex, while little is doue in the northern 
and eastern portions. The logging is confined largely to spnieo 
timber, which is cut both for lumber and pulp. Little hard- 
wood is utilized in any way, and there are very few factories lo- 
cated in the region, such as arc now established in so many places 
in Wisconsin for the purpose of converting the hardwood timber 
into furniture and other wood articles. This is no doubt due 
largely to the lack of proper transportation facilities. In many 
parts of the region the native population seems to be dependent 
for their support chiefly on the large number of summer resi- 
dents and tourists whom they serve as hotel keepei*s, guides, etc. 
Considerable tracts of land are o^^^led by clubs and associations, 
who maintain them as pleasure reseiwes. These clubs usually 
take fairly good care of their holdings, bnild and maintain roads, 
prevent fires, the cutting of timber, undue fishing and hunting, 
and in nuany ways improve the land for the purposes of a summer 
resort. These private reserves are usually located in the mosL 
picturesque regions, wdiere on account of the mountainous topog- 
raphy and the remoteness from railways logging would be un- 
profitable. It is customars^ for these associations to allow the 
legitimate use of their lands by tourists and pleasure seekers, 
under reasonable regulations and the payment of a fair toll. 
On the whole the system works to the advantage both of the 
permanent residents of the neighborhood, and of the tourist and 
fiiimmei* guests. It would seem to be highly desirable that som(* 
of the hundreds of beautiful lakes and other interesting places 
in- Wisconsin, which more and more attract pleasure seekers, to 
the benefit of the entire state, were in similar manner improved 
by voluntai-y associations, and forests, game and fish protected 
against wanton and negligent destruction. 



28 



Wlien lumbering operations have ceased in a forest region the 
danger of fire becomes much diaiiinished. At least in AVisconsiu 
it is well known that fires are most likely to take their start from 
the dry rub'bish on places where trees have been recently felled. 
Similarly, in ISTew York it is found that of the comparatively 
few fires oceurnng most are met within the western part of the 
district where logging is now actively pursued. Even there ii 
is rare for a fire to do much damage, as it is almost immediatelv 
discovered and extinguished. Since the present system of fire 
police has come into existence, it has been found that the educa- 
tional efi:'ect u|)on the people is even of more importance than the 
direct results of the law. Public opinion in the Adirondacks 
now severely condemns all manner of carelessness in the handling 
of fire in the woods, and j^eople no longer consider destructivH 
forest fires as inevitable cahimities like earthquakes and torn/i- 
do-es, as is still so widely the case in Wisconsin. 

The machineiy by which these and other desii^ahle results arc 
obtained in the state of New York may be hrietly described as fol- 
lows: 

There is a board of five (commissioners of Fisheries, Game 
and Forests, the members of which recei^'e an annual salary of 
$2,500 each, with an additional amount of $800 per annum each 
for expenses. The president of the board receives $3,000 per 
annum and expenses. The staff of employes at the headquarters 
consists of a superintendent and eight other employes of various- 
grades, with salaries ranging from $2,500 for the superintendent 
down to $1,200 each for two stenographers. In addition to this, 
there are two assistant chief protectors, with $1,500 a year, and 
thirty-eight j)rotectors who receive $500 a year as salaries, with 
expenses to the amount of $450 per annum. The assistant chief 
protectors and protectors are required to spend all their time in 
the woods and make daily reports as to their doings to the office 
at Albany. Finally there are large numbers of special protec- 
tors, appointed from the residents of the forest districts, who re- 
ceive $1.50 i)er day for work actually done. In addition, both 
protectors and special protectors receive one-half of alk fines and 
judgments recovered through their efforts. The per diem of the 
special protectors is paid by the local authorities, but one-half of 
it is returned to the latter from the state treasure'. 

It will be seen that the duties of the protectors are purely of a 
police nature, as no forestry work proper is as yet done 'by the 
state. They see to the enforcement of the game and fish laws, 
the fire protection, and guard against trespasses on the st^ate land. 
The policy of tlie department is to appoint so many special pro- 
tectors that no fire can get a start anvwhere without coming it. 



29 

once under the notice of a protector. It should be rcuiembered 
that an important part of the department's work is the care of tlie 
oyster beds in the waters of the state. Three of the protectors 
are specially detailed for this duty. All officers and employes 
are in constant communication with the headquarters, and con- 
venient blanks of various kinds are provided on wliich they can 
make their reports and accounts. 

There is a. special body appointed from the members of the 
department, known as the Forest Preserve Board. This body 
has the duty of purchasing lands within the Adirondack district, 
to be added to the forest reserve of the state. Until a few years 
ago the state lands,' like those of Wisconsin, consisted of badly 
scattered tracts. The state intends to purchase sufficient land to 
create a continuous forest area belonging to the people. A 
million dollars has already been appropriated for this purpose, and 
additional sums will undoubtedly be provided in the future. 
Unfortunately the state constitution prohibits all cutting of tim- 
ber on state land. Such wastefulness can be but temporary and 
must soon give way to the adoption of real forestry methods. 

There are many other proiasions on the statute book of New 
York which are very instructive. For instance, a farmer who 
wishes to burn 'brush on his land onust give notice to the town 
supervisor, whose duty it then becomes to be present and super- 
intend such burning. The state lands within any township are 
assessed for local taxes, the same as jmvate lands, and the taxes 
paid to the local authorities out of the state treasiiry. This over- 
comes the frequent objection of the local population to have large 
tracts of public lands within their limits. 

While tlie duties of the Forestry Department of New York 
are at present confined rather to the protection of forests as they 
now are, and do not extend to their management for revenue and 
possible profit, the state has of late taken a first step in that di- 
rection also. It has endowed a School of Forestry, to be a part 
and under the management of (^^ornell University. The object 
of the school is a double one: First, to train students in the 
whole science and art of forestry so as to fit them for the inde- 
pendent management of forest estates, either private or publii'. 
For this purpose a four years' course of study is provided. The 
entrance requirements for this course are substantially the same 
as those for other under-graduate departments of the university, 
including a fair amount) of mathematics, Latin, German, French, 
etc. The first two years of study are devoted to a thorough 
grounding in the various auxiliary sciences of forestry, such as 
mathematics, geology, botany, political economy. Not until the 
junior year will technical studies in forestry begin. These will 



30 



include, among other things, sylviculture, dendrology, the physical 
and commercial qualities of woods and timbers, methods of log- 
ging and manufacturing lumber, and other forest products, polit- 
ical economy with special reference to the transportation and 
marketing of forest products, forest mensuration and valuation 
(that is, the computing of the prospective annual increase of 
wood in a growing forest, and the profit or revenue that may be 
expected frcni it at any given period, with similar' and allied 
subjects), and the liistory of forestry. During the summer 
months, and the whole of the fourth year, the student will be 
expected to put in most of his time in practical work in the woods 
and particularly the demonstration forest which it is contem- 
plated tha school shall possess. 

The second object of the school is to furnish to such students as 
do not intend to become professional foresters, but who desire 
an acquaintance with forestry matters as a help in their future 
business as lumbermen, manvifacturers, farmers, and so forth, a 
comprehensive insight into the subject. For this purpose, elec- 
tive courses are offered on sylviculture, forest economy and simi- 
lar subjects. 

The trustees of Cornell University have selected as the dean 
and head professor of the new school Dr. B. E. Fernoiv, well 
known as one of the foretmost authorities in this country in all 
matters pertaining to forestry and for twelve years chief of the 
Forestry Division of the United States. One of his assistants is 
Mr. Filibert Roth, formerly of Wisconsin, who is the author of 
the report on the forest resources of this state, just published by 
the Geological Survey. 

The demonstration forest mentioned above is to be one of the 
most important branches of the new forestry school. It is to 
contain about 30,000 acres of wood land. The intention of the 
dean and faculty is not only to use this area for the purpose of 
giving the students opportunities in practical work, but to dem- 
onstrate by it how a forest estate can be managed so as to yield 
a regular revenue and profit, instead of giving a revenue once 
and thereafter remaining a worthless waste. Furthennore, it 
is to be used as an experiment station, where questions regarding 
sylviculture, timber physics, and allied matters are to be investi- 
gated. As was stated to the secretary of this commission by Dr. 
Fernow, the two last named objects are somewhat inconsistent. 
Experiments always cost money, and the profitableness of the 
enterprise will thereby to some extent be jeopardized. But it i:% 
intended to keep the books of the department in such a way that 
the extra expense caused by the experiments can be separated at 



31 



a glance, so as to allow a computation regarding the actual profiti" 
if no such expenses had been incurred. 

The question now arises: "What lessons can Wisconsin deriv?, 
from the experience of New York? The most obvious one is 
evidently the possibility of keeping in check the ravages of fire. 
While with O'ur large areas of pine slashings and half-dried tama- 
rack swamps we may not be able, for some time, to control fire so 
completely as is being done in Xew York, we can certainly do 
far more than has been acccmplished heretofore. Tlie existing 
fire laws should be improved in all details in which they may 
have proven inefl:"ectual ; there should be a more effective machin- 
ery for the supervision and control of the local fire wardens; 
above all, every possible means should be used to create a public 
sentiment which will regard negligence in the handling of firo 
in the woods or marshes as a crime, to be met not only with legal 
punishment, but with the severest reprobation by all respectable 
persons. It seems that not only the newspapers, but also the 
public schools, farmere' institutes and similar organizations, could 
do very much in this direction. 

Another thought which suggests itself by the example of 
IS^ew York is that the State University duight well do its share 
both in the training of professional foresters and the instruction 
of non-professional students in forestry matters. Finally, h 
would seem that Wisconsin ought to imitate New York in the 
establishment of one or more experiment stations for the investi- 
o'atinn of matters relating to the subiect, for the conditions undei 
which forests must be managed in Wisconsin are Ijy no means 
the same as those in New York. 



PENNSYLVANIA. 

In the state of Pennsylvania the forestiy problem has in many 
respects a different aspect from what it has in New York. The 
evil which there first led to the appropriation of money by the 
state for forestry purposes was the rapid washing away of the 
soil from (mountain sides denuded of tree growth, the consequenc 
sanding up of the rivers of the state, and the pernicions alterna- 
tion of very low stages of water with the most violent and de- 
structive freshets. In consequence an effort is now being made 
to acquire on the part of the state all lands located on the head 
waters of rivers, and to keep them under a permanent forest 
cover. The state forests which Pennsylvania will possess in the 
future will therefore be mostly in the nature of protective for- 
ests, as are so many forests in Switzerland and other Alpine conn- 



32 



tries. The question of making- the capital invested in these 
lands yield a profit, or even any kind of revenue to partially re- 
imhnrse the state for the necessary annual administrative ex- 
penses, seems to have been entirely left out of view, for the pres- 
ent at least. Yet the people of Pennsylvauia are willing to be 
taxed heavily for this purpose because they uuderstand that th^y 
gain a hundredfold indirectly by the protection which the for- 
ests afford to the agricultural arul industrial lauds of the com 
monwealth. 

Pennsylvania has not yet been so successful hi the prevention 
of forest fires as ISTew York. On the contrary, its loss from this 
source during the last few years has been enormous. This may 
be due, in part, to more disadvantageons natural conditions; bui. 
probably the principal reason is that the fire ])olice system of the 
state is far less effective than that of New York, and that publiv* 
opinion has not yet been sufficiently educated to appreciate tlnv 
criminality of negligence. There are no s])ecial tire wardens, 
bnt it is made the duty of constables and county commissioners 
to extinguish forest fires. For this jiurpose they may call our 
the posse comitatus. The compoisation of poi-sons officially en- 
gaged in fightiiig fire is $1.50 per day. wliicli is jiaid in equal 
shares by the county and the state. It is clviw that, however 
effective such a system may be for extinguishing fires, it fails 
entirely to provide for the (piick detection of fii'cs just starting. 
This, however, is the uuist important ])art of tlie task, for only 
by not allowing fires to get headway can gi'cnt damage be pre- 
vented. 

The forestry administi^ation of Pennsyl\-ania at pi'esent forms, 
a division of the state Department of Agriculture. It has at its 
disposal a fund of $15,000 for all contingent expenses for the 
period of two years, besides the salaries of its c^uiployes. Tn 
addition to this, there is an nnlimited apjn'opriation for the pay 
ment of fire fighters and the ])urchase of land at the ri\'er sources. 

The work of the division has so far been jirincipally one of 
investigation and education. The conditions of water flow in 
the rivers have been thoroughly investigated l)y a ca]>able engi- 
neer, while the Inilletins and reports issued contain much valu- 
able information regarding the forest conditions of the state. 
One of the principal duties of the commissioner is to assist in the 
purchase, on behalf of the state, of forest preserve lands. Three 
great preserves, neither to be less than 40,000 acres in extent, 
are to be established aronnd the npper portions of the Delawarf, 
Susquehanna and Ohio rivers. Besides, the law provides, that 
the state may acquire all lands on wdiich taxes remain nnpaid. 
There are considerable tracts in Pennsylvania, as there are in 



33 



Wisconsin, from wliicli the timl)er of merchantable species and 
size has been cut and for which the proprietors do not care to pay 
taxes. These hinds are often of great vahie as protective for- 
ests, and nnless the state ac([nired and policed them, the remain- 
ing wood growth wonld be destroyed iind the soil washed into 
the rivers. When the secretary of this commission was at Ilar- 
risbnrg, he learned of a company operating an oil well located 
in the enidst of a large timber tract, which had jnst offered to 
convey this tract to the state on condition that they might con- 
tinue to work the oil well. The hope of the company was simply 
that the state wonld maintain a sufficient fire police in the forest to 
render the oil property more secure. 

A solution of the question of the taxation of forest property 
has been attempted in Pennsylvania by the passage of a law 
allowing a rebate of taxe^ on lands with growing timber, under 
certain conditions. The tax (]nestion in Pennsylvania seems to 
be simpler than in Wisconsin for this reason: A very large pro- 
portion of timber lands is owned by mining companies. The 
population of those districts is often in its majority composed of 
empl()y(\-^ of these coflnpanics. It is easy, therefore, for these 
corporations to obtain the election of local officials Avho will not 
only not assess their lands exorbitantly, but on the contrary 
sometimes give them an unfair advantage dver other j)roperty. 

On tli(^ whok' it may be said that the conditions in Penn- 
sylvania are so diffei'cnt fiMiu those prevailing in Wisconsin, 
that few of the details of forestry administration arc directly 
applicable to our state. AVe are fortunately so sitnate(l that the 
(juestion of maintaining foi*ests merely for the protection of our 
streams in places where we wmdd rather see farms is of minor 
imjxu'tance. We have no apiu'cciable extent of land which is 
in danger oi being turned into desert by the washing away of 
soil unless f(»rests are maintained thereon. Xo doubt the quan- 
tity and regularity of water tlow in many of our rivers will be 
benefited by the maintaining of forests about their s(un'ces. But 
this benefit will as a general rule be gained incidentally, if we 
select our future forest areas from other points of view. On the 
other hand, there is probably in all Wisconsin no forty -acre lot of 
woodland which under proper management eannot be made to 
yield a profit. It follows that this state need spend no money, 
either in tly; way of land purchases or administrative expenses, 
for purely protective forests, without expectation of pecuniar- 
reimbursement. All properly expended funds in A\^isconsin 
forest management may be expected to sooner or later return to 
the state treasury. How fortuiiate our state is siruated in this 
respect will be understood when it is considered that even wath 
3 



34 



the excellent methods of manag-ement prevailing in Prussia, Ba- 
varia or Saxony, there are large tracts of forests in those states 
from which no financial return is expected either at present or in 
the future. There is one valuable lesson to be derived from 
Pennsylvania, however, and that is the intelligence of the people 
of that state, who are willing to sink large amounts of money 
without hope of return simply because they appreciate the im- 
mense indirect advantages they will <lerive from a proper care 
of their forests. 



ONTARIO. 

The province of Ontario has for some years maintained a 
Bureau of Forestry, which is a subordinate branch of the Crown 
Lands Department. Tliis ^bureau has published a number of 
interesting reports containing much valuable information. No 
steps looking towards a more profitable management of public 
lands have as yet been taken by the government of the province, 
except that a commission was recently appointed charged with 
investigating the question of reproducing forests on the cut-over 
timber lands. This commission has visited all parts of the forest 
area of tlie province, and will soon make its final report. Like 
the Geological Survey report on the forest resources of Wiscon- 
sin, the Ontario commissioners have come to the conclusion thai 
practically the only obstacle to the natural reproduction of pine 
forests is the fire. They laugh at the notion still entertained 
by some Wisconsin lumbermen that tliere must be a "rotation 
of crops" and that white pine will not grow again in places 
where it has been cut down. 

The fire laws of Ontarii> are fairly effective. The timber 
lands belonging to the crown are not sold, but lumbermen can 
purchase the right to cut timber on these lands, under certain 
restrictions and regulations. One of these regulations requires 
that "fire rangciV must bo employed on each timber berth, as a 
district on which logging privileges have been sold is called. The 
commission will advise the Parliament to add to this requirement 
the employment of a similar .system of fire rangers on the lands 
not comprised in any timber l)erth. Tlie commissioners also 
favor the permanent reservation and management, by the gov- 
ernfment itself, frf all timber lands not fit for agricultural pur- 
poses. Another recommendation will be to prohibit the cutting 
of trees less than twelve inches in diameter two feet from, the 
ground by any holder of a logging license. 



35 



The most important thing to be learned from the experience 
of Ontario seems to be the im wisdom of selling the fee of public 
lands of a non-agricultural character. Such lands are too apt to be 
despoiled oi their present timber supply and allowed to lie waste 
ever after, as the example of so many tracts in Wisconsin shows. 
Ontario, on the other hand, after having received quite as high 
a revenue from the sale of logging licenses as Wisconsin received 
froon the disposal of the land itself, still retains the land and may 
proceed to care for them so that in due time they may again be- 
come a source of revenue to the public treasury. 



B6 



A BILL 

TO ESTABLISH A SYSTEM OF STATE FOKESTS AND 
PEOVIDE FOE THE MANAGEMENT OF 
THE SAME. 

The People of the State of Wisconsin, Eeprescntcd in Senate 
and Assembly, Do Enact as Follows: 

Section 1. There is hereby established a Department of State 
Forests, to be organized and to perform snch duties as herein 
provided. The secretary of state, the state treasurer and the 
atorney general shall constitute ex officio the Board of State 
Forest Commissioners, and as such shall perform snch duties 
and exercise snch authority as may be conferi-ed upon them bj 
law. Any^wo members of said board shall constitute a quorum 
for the transaction of all business. 

Section 2. As soon as may be after this law sliall have gone 
into effect the said board shall appoint some comjietent person 
as superintendent of State Forests. Snch superintendent shall 
hold office for the term of five years, and shall receive a salary 
of three thousand dollars per annum, jiayable out of the state 
treasury in the same manner as the salaries of other state officers- 
are paid. It shall be the duty of the Superintendent of State 
Forests, to keep in his office all necessary records concerning 
the lands under his care as provided herein ; to manage such 
lands according to the most apjn-oved principles of the art of 
forestry ; and to perform such other duties as may be prescribed 
by law. The said superintendent shall appoint an assistant who 
shall hold office during good behavior and shall receive a salary 
of two thousand dollars per annum, payable out of the state 
treasury in the same manner as the salaries of other state officers 
are paid. The Superintendent of State Forests may also ap- 
point such clerks, district foresters and other subordinate ofl&- 
cials as the said Board of State Forest Commissioners may au- 
thorize, and may engage such temporary help and services as 
may from time to time become necessary. All permanent em- 
ployes of the department shall hold office during good behavior, 
unless otherwise provided by law. Their salaries shall be fixed 
by the Board of State Forest Commissioners, and shall be paid 



from tlie state treasury iti the same inanrier as the sahiries of 
other state emph>jes are paid. The said Board may, with the 
advice of the Superintendent, adopt and from time to time 
amend regulations for the examination, competitiA'e or other- 
wise, of all a])plicants for positions in the employ of the depart- 
ment, and if such regidations shall be adopted all appointments 
shall thereafter be made by the superintendent in accordance 
with them. The superintendent aud assistant superintendent 
shall each annually receive the sum of five hundred dollars for 
expenses of travel. Other othcers and employes of the Depart- 
ment of State Forests who may be obliged to travel on business 
of the department shall be allowed their actual expenses. 

Section '>. The said Board of State Forest Commissioners 
shall audit all the accounts of the Su])erinteudent of State For- 
<^sts and other officers and emjdoyes of the department, and no 
claim of any kind against the state, on account of the depart- 
ment of state forests, shall be ])aid without first being allowed 
by the said Board. 

Section 4. The department of state forests shall be provided 
with convenient office accommodation at the city of Madison, 
and shall be furnished with all necessary stationery and other 
office sup])lies in the saiue manner as other departments are 
furnished. 

Section ,^». The sale of all lands belonging to the state, except 
such as are conuuonly denominated school and university lands, 
shall cease after this act shall have gone into effect, and no such 
land sluiill thereafter be sold except according to the provisions 
of this act ; provided, however, that this act shall not be so con- 
strued as to affect in any manner the rights or interest of any 
person or pcu'sons to or in any of the lands lielonging to the state 
Avhich such ])erson nuiy have acquired ])reviously to the day on 
wdiich this act shall go into effect. 

Section ('>. All public lands so withdrawn from sale, and 
such other lauds as the state may hereafter acipiire for that pur- 
pose shall constitute the state forest reserve. As soon as prac- 
ticable after this act shall go into effect the superintendent of 
state forests shall make a detailed inquiry into the character and 
condition of each parcel of land contained in said state forest 
reserve and acquire all information concerning the same which 
may be necessary for the purpose of proper forestry manage- 
ment. For this purpose he ntay engage all necessary help, and 
may use the records, maps, plats and other documents of the 
land office. All information so obtained shall be properly re- 
corded and preserved in the office of said superintendent. If in 
the course of such investigation the said, superintendent shall 



38 



come to tlie conclusion that it shall he for the best interest of 
the state that any particular parcel or parcels of the public lands 
be not reserved as a part of the state forest he shall so notify 
the Board of Public Land Commissioners, who may thereupon 
in their discretion proceed to sell such parcel or parcels of land 
in the manner provided by law. If at any time hereafter the 
Commissioners of Public Lands shall withdraw any school or 
university lands from sale they may authorize the superinten- 
dent of forests to manage such lands as a part of the state for- 
ests, and the superintendent sball thereupon have the same au- 
thority and the same duties regarding such lands as he has re- 
garding other lands in the state forest reserve. 

Section 7. The said Board of State Forest Commissioners 
are hereby authorized to accept on behalf of the state of Wiscon- 
sin any grant or grants of any lands within this state for forestry 
j3urposes. ^STo such grant shall be accepted unless the attorney 
general shall first certify that he has investigated the title to such 
lands and that the proposed grantor has title to such lands, free 
from incumbrance. 

Section S. Any county wliich may now own or hereafter ac- 
quire any land suitable for forest growth by virtue of any tax 
deed or the foreclosure of any tax certificate is hereby authorized 
to maintain such land as a county forest reserve. Whenever the 
Board of Supervisors of any'county shall by resolution decide to 
maintain such county forest reserve, they shall notify the su- 
perintendent of state forests, whose duty it shall thereupon be- 
come to supervise the management of such county forest. The 
board of supervisors of such county may annually appropriate 
a sum of money sufficient for the management of such county 
forest until the revenue derived therefrom shall be sufficient to 
pay for the expenses of the management of. the same. All 
revenue derived from such county forest over and above the 
necessary expenses of the management of the same shall be paid 
into the county treasury. I^o expense of any kind shall be in- 
curred by and become chargeable to the state on account of such 
county forests. The county board of supervisors may make all 
necessary rules and regulations concerning such county forest, 
subject, however, to the ap]>roval of the state forest superin- 
tendent. 

Section 9. The superintendent of state forests shall as soon 
as practicable, with a view to the best possible financial return to 
the state, remove from the lands under his control all dead and 
down tinker and such other timber as he may deem expedien';, 
and sell the same at the best advantage in such a manner as thv3 
Board of State Forest Commissioners may prescribe. All con- 



39 



tracts for the cutting, logging, or sale of any timber in the state 
forests shall be signed, on behalf of the state, by the superin- 
tendent of forests, or in his absence by the assistant superin- 
tendent ; provided that no such contract shall be of effect until 
it shall have been approved by the Board of State Forest Com- 
missioners. All funds received from the sale of any timber, 
wood or other product of the state forests which shall be derived 
from any land known as School, University, Agricultural Col- 
lege, jSTormal School, J\[arathon County, Drainage or Indemnity 
land shall be paid into the respective fund into which the pro- 
ceeds of the sale of such land may now be payable. The revenues 
from all other lands in the state forest reserve shall be paid into 
the general fund of the state. 

Section 10. The superintendent of state forests shall have 
authority to build roads upon the lands in the state forest re- 
serve ; to cut and sell timber growing on and other products of 
such forests; erect all necessary buildings, fences or other struct- 
ures; plant or sow trees; make all necessary rules and regula- 
tions for the maintenance and government of such forests, and 
do all other acts which may be necessary or expedient for the 
protection and rational management of said forests. Provided, 
however, that no improvement shall be made or other measure 
adopted involving an expense of more than one hundred dollars 
without having first been apj)rovcd by the Board of State Forest 
Commissioners. 

Section 11. The superintendent of state forests may from 
time to time purchase, in such manner as shall be prescribed 
by the Board of State Forest Commissioners, all supplies neces- 
sary for the proper conduct of work in the state forests. 

Section 12. The sui)erintendent of state forests shall as soon 
as practicable after this law shall have gone into effect, with the 
approval of the Board of State Forest Commissioners, establish 
one or more Forest Experiment Stations, on the lands belong- 
ing to the state forest reserve, for the purpose of conducting re- 
searches into the best methods of forest management under the 
conditions prevailing in the various portions of Wisconsin. For 
the purpose of making such researches the superintendent may 
co-operate whenever expedient with the State University, the 
State Geological and jSTatural History Survey, the various scien- 
tific bureaus of the government of the United States, and other 
institutions of a like character. The results of such investiga- 
tion shall from time to time be printed and published in the 
same manner as other public documents are published, and dis- 
tributed in such manner as the Board of State Forest Commis- 
sioners shall determine. They shall as far as possible be written 



40 

in uon-teelmieal language, so as to be easily understood by the 
general public. 

Section 13. It shall be the duty of the superintendent and 
the assistant superintendent, whenever possible without inter- 
ference with their other duties, to respond to invitations to de- 
liver lectures on subjects regarding the value and nature oi 
sound forestry methods, by Farmers' Institutes, colleges, schools 
and similar institutions, and they shall in every other available 
form seek to spread information concerning forestry matters 
among the public. 

Section 14. I'he offices of state forest warden and deputy 
forest warden as defined in section 108Gb of the Wisconsin Stat- 
utes of 1898 are hereby abolished. Their duties are transferred 
to the superintendent of state forests except as modified by this 
act. It shall be the duty of the said state superintendent to see 
that the provisions of law for the prevention or extinguishment 
of forest and marsh fires are faithfully executed, and for that 
purpose to formulate all necessary and proper regulations for 
the government of the several fire wardens, and to supervise 
them in the performance of their duties. Whenever the super- 
intendent of state forests or any officer of the department of 
state forests, or any fire warden shall have good reason to believe 
that an offense has been committed by any person or persons 
against any of such provisions, it slftill be his duty to cause the 
arrest of the party suspected of such offense, and he shall imme- 
diately notify the district attorney of the proper county, whose 
duty it shall be to prosecute such person or persons. Every fire 
warden who shall bring about the conviction of anv person or 
persons of violation of aily law designed for protection against 
forest and marsh fires, shall receive (me-half of the fin(> im])osed 
upon such party. 

Section 15. The superintendent of state forests shall ap- 
point one or more fire wardens in each organized township, and 
shall keep a register of the name and postoffice address of each. 
Provided that if he shall be of the opinion that no useful purpose 
could be served by the appointment of a fire warden in any par- 
ticular town he may omit such an a]i})ointmtmt, unles's the town 
board of supervisors of such town shall recpiest him to make such 
an appointment. Every fire warden shall before entering upon 
the duties of his -office take and subscribe the usual oath of office 
and file the same with the superintendent. He shall take all nec- 
essary precaution to prevent the improj)er setting or progress 
of fire in his or adjoining towns within eighty rods of the line 
of his town whenever the fire warden of the adjoining town is 
\mable or unwilling to do so, and shall, when credibly informed 



41 



that a fire has been improperly set or allowed to burn in any ter- 
ritory within his jurisdiction take such steps as shall be neces- 
sary to prevent and in all proper cases to extinguish the fire. 
The fire wardens shall perform such further duties and receive 
such compensation as is now provided by law. Any fire warden 
may be removed from ofiice by the superintendent of state for- 
ests for incompetence or neglect of duty. 

Section 20. Section lC36e of the Wisconsin Statutes of 1898 
is hereby repealed. It shall be the duty of the superintendent of 
forests or such other officer of the department of forests as he 
may designate, as far as practicable, from time to time to visit 
each fire warden and ascertain the manner in which he dis- 
charges the duties of his office. 

Section 21. On or before the first day of December in each 
year the clerk of each tow^n in which any money has been ex- 
pended for the payment of any fire warden or the extinguish- 
ment of any forest or marsh fire in pursuance of section 19 of 
this act shall certify to the secretary of state the amount of 
money so expended. The secretary of state shall thereupon 
cause one-half of the sum so expended by such town to be paid 
out of the state treasury to the treasurer of such town. 

Section 22. The superintendent of forests shall biennially 
make a report to the governor, showing the condition of the state 
forests, the revenues derived therefrom, the expenses incurred, 
and such other matters as he may deem proper. Such report 
shall be printed, published and distributed in so many copies and 
such manner as the governor may direct. The superintendent 
shall also submit to the legislature at its regular session, Avithin 
ten days from the convening thereof,. an itemized estimate of the 
expenditures which in his opinion will be necessary on behalf of 
the department of forests, during each of the ensuing two years. 

Section 28. The expenses of the department of forests ex- 
clusive of any sums which may be paid to any town for money 
expended for the prevention or extinguishment of forest fires, 
during any one year, and exclusive of any money spent for the 
proper furnishing of the office of the department, and its supply 
with the necessary stationery and other office supplies, shall not 

exceed the sum of $ per annum. ISTo liabilit}^ shall be 

incurred by said department in excess of such sum. A suffi- 
cient sum to defray all expenses authorized by this act is hereby 
annually appropriated. 

Section 24. All acts and parts of acts conflicting with any 
of the provisions of this act are hereby repealed. 

Section 25. This act shall be in effect from and after its 
passage and publication. 



